A CHARITY is toasting a £300,000 lottery boost to open a second set of community allotments in time for its tenth anniversary.

Growing Together, which has been running allotments in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff , for people with mental health issues or learning disabilities since 2002, will open a second site in Elm Road, Shoebury , by January.

Chief executive Matt King said: “It’s really exciting. It’s brilliant to think we can start to extend and build on this project.”

The one acre of disused allotments in Shoebury will allow about 70 people with mental health issues and ten with learning difficulties to study for a diploma in horticulture and gain work experience for jobs as gardeners, just like the Westcliff project.

The Westcliff project, which is up for the environmental awareness award in the Echo’s Southend Business Awards, also helps eight Year 6 pupils with educational issues from Milton Hall Primary School, Westcliff, and the charity hopes to start a similar partnership with Shoebury schools.

Growing Together will recruit staff and service users and design the new site this autumn, before service users start the landscaping in the new year.

Mr King said: “We are looking for it to be a bit more cohesive. It will be a central hub with sections off it.”

The Lottery grant should fund the Shoebury project for three years. The Westcliff project has to raise about £150,000 each year with money from the council, the NHS, the EU, charities trusts and donations. Both projects will share management and administration to cut costs.

The charity gives people interested in a career in health and social care the chance to work with people with mental health issues or learning disabilities. The Westcliff project has about ten volunteers, but is always looking for more.

It has places for a dozen 16 to 24-year-olds on Jobseekers Allowance to gain skills in research, marketing, horticulture, cooking and graphic design next week.

For more information call 01702 213134.